hypotheticalhurricanesfandomcom-20200216-history
1980 Hypothetical Atlantic hurricane season
Systems Tropical Storm Allen The first storm of the season formed from a tropical wave in the Caribbean Sea on June 12th. As the wave strengthened into a tropical depression, warmer than normal water for the time of year allowed it to strengthen and become the first storm ever named with the new rotating name lists, Allen. While moving west-northwestward, Allen strengthened to near-hurricane status, but made landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula before it could strengthen further. Moving into the Gulf of Mexico, Allen encountered strong wind shear and began to weaken rapidly. Allen dissipated shortly after moving ashore in Mexico, its remnants drifting into the Sonoran Desert, bringing a rare desert rainstorm. The strong tropical storm left heavy damage to coastal structures, and heavy rain caused considerable flooding across Belize. Allen caused $2 million USD in damages in Belize, but no fatalities were reported. A group of fishermen were injured after sliding across their boat in the heavy surf in the Gulf of Mexico, although their injuries were minimal. Tropical Storm Bonnie A tropical wave east of the Leeward Islands became a tropical depression on June 29th, and the NHC monitored the system for expected further development. It became Tropical Storm Bonnie after 8 hours as a tropical depression. As the storm began to approach the Leeward Islands, a tropical storm watch was issued for Guadeloupe and Antigua. The watch was upgraded to a warning on the morning of July 1st. As it picked up speed, Bonnie made landfall on the island of Guadeloupe, and tropical storm-force winds were felt in Antigua. Bonnie began a rapid phase of weakening as it moved northwest towards the Bahamas. A front exiting the United States east coast absorbed the remnants of Bonnie on July 3rd while it was positioned 300 miles east of Florida. Damage caused by Bonnie was minimal and no fatalities were reported in the Leeward Islands. Hurricane Charley A tropical wave north of the Leeward Islands began to organize on July 10th, and a tropical depression had formed by the next day. The system moved northwest, strengthening into Tropical Storm Charley while east-northeast of the Bahamas. The NHC watched the system for potential landfall, but it stayed out at sea and continued to strengthen. By July 13th, Charley had become the first hurricane of the season while situated east of the Carolinas. Charley brought rip currents and strong, large waves across the eastern shore of the United States. Charley turned north-northeast towards Nova Scotia as it continued to slowly strengthen. Charley reached its peak intensity on July 16th while slightly southeast of Nova Scotia with winds of 110 miles per hour. Charley began moving faster as it continued northeast out into the Atlantic. The hurricane began to lose its tropical characteristics on July 17th, and it was declared extratropical on July 18th. Charley maintained hurricane-force winds as an extratropical storm and later hit Ireland, bringing strong gusts and heavy rain. Charley did no damage throughout its track across the open Atlantic, but 12 rescues were performed across the United States east coast, 7 of which occured in New Jersey, and the remaining 5 in North Carolina, Maryland, Delaware, and Rhode Island. Tropical Storm Danielle A tropical wave developed on July 27th and a tropical depression formed at 20:00 UTC the same day. Moving northwest from Cape Verde, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Danielle. As it turned northward, Danielle began to weaken, and by July 30th it began to interact with another, larger system of low pressure. The storm was unrecognizable later that day. Danielle had no effect on land during its short lifespan, although its remnants brought well-needed heavy rain to Portugal and western Spain. Hurricane Earl A trough of low pressure mixed with a cold front on August 11th and produced a vigorous area of low pressure. The large low pressure system spawned a tropical depression on August 12th while about 300 miles east of Florida. Rapidly strengthening, the depression became a tropical storm, Earl, just 7 hours after being classified as a tropical depression. Moving north-northwest, Earl strengthened into a hurricane on August 13th while entering the gulf stream. Warm waters in the gulf stream allowed Earl to rapidly intensify, becoming a major hurricane with winds of 115 miles per hour on August 14th. Exiting the gulf stream, a hurricane warning was issued for the Delmarva peninsula from Dewey, DE to Ocean City, MD. A tropical storm warning was issued across the coast of Virginia as the large storm's gale diameter reached Virginia Beach. On August 16th, Earl made landfall on Assateauge Island, MD. Although it weakened over the barrier island of Maryland, Earl caused considerable damage in Ocean City, tearing planks off the boardwalk and damaging the oceanfront hotels from 3rd street all the way to Bethany, DE. Earl moved offshore away from Delmarva and turned towards New England. Weakening to category 1 strength, Earl made landfall again on August 20th in Rhode Island with hurricane-force winds extending north to Boston, MA. From that point onward, Earl moved away from land and out into the colder waters of the North Atlantic. Earl rapidly began to weaken after landfall in Rhode Island, becoming extratropical 2 hours later. The extratropical cyclone was absorbed by a larger system on August 21st. Earl caused $3.6 billion USD in damages, mainly in Maryland and Delaware, with a further $1 billion in New England. Flooding in Ocean City took the lives of 9 people, and a further 8 fatalities occurred in New England. Earl is one of the costliest hurricanes in New England history. Hurricane Frances A tropical wave emerged into the Atlantic Ocean on August 26th, and a tropical depression was formed under favorable conditions in the tropical Atlantic. The depression became Tropical Storm Frances on August 27th, 400 miles east of the Leeward islands. Turning northwest, Frances began to slowly, but gradually strengthen. It became a hurricane while northeast of the Bahamas on August 30th. The east coast of the United States carefully monitored Frances as it meandered less than 200 miles off the coast of the Outer Banks. Frances reached peak intensity as a category 2 hurricane with winds of 95 miles per hour. Rip currents along the entire US east coast caused red-flag conditions from the Outer Banks in North Carolina to Ocean City, NJ. Frances began to weaken as it moved swiftly over the cool waters of New England. Frances came within 50 miles of the coast of Maine, bringing heavy rainfall and rip currents across New England. Frances began its extratropical transition on September 2nd as it turned east-northeast into the open Atlantic. It was declared extratropical later the same day, although it continued eastwards, bringing heavy rain to the United Kingdom and Ireland before dissipating on September 4th. 2 teenage boys drowned in New Jersey from rip currents, but their deaths were declared indirect after it was found they had been under the influence while swimming. Hurricane Georges Hurricane Georges formed from a tropical wave originating from West Africa. A typical Cape Verde hurricane, the wave formed a tropical depression on September 10th, and the depression strengthened from there into a tropical storm later the same day. Georges tracked nearly due west towards the Lesser Antilles, becoming a hurricane on September 11th in the warm waters of the tropical Atlantic. Georges underwent a period of rapid intensification, becoming a category 3 hurricane at 13:00 UTC on September 12th. Georges peaked as a category 4 hurricane with winds up to 145 miles per hour while a little less than 100 miles east of Dominica. On the morning of September 13th, Georges made landfall in Dominica as at peak strength. More than 60% of buildings were damaged, and almost 40% of homes were destroyed or suffered heavy damage. Hurricane force winds reached north to Guadeloupe where storm surge heavily damaged coastal structures and even damaged small buildings further inland. Tropical storm force winds caused heavy rain south to St. Vincent. Georges emerged over the Caribbean Sea and had not weakened. The hurricane turned northwest towards the Gulf of Mexico, affecting the Yucatan Peninsula, Jamaica, and Cuba with tropical storm force winds and heavy rain. Georges emerged into the Gulf of Mexico on September 16th, and it began weakening, although it stayed a powerful hurricane as it headed north-northeast towards Alabama and Florida. Preparations were rushed to completion as Georges neared the Florida panhandle. Georges made its second landfall near Pensacola, FL as a category 3 hurricane. Severe flooding caused considerable damage as far west as Biolxi, MS. Georges began to rapidly weaken, and it had degenerated to an open wave as it emerged over the east coast of Florida. On September 19th, Georges restrengthened to a tropical depression about 300 miles off the coast of Georgia. However, conditions were unfavorable for development, and it dissipated early the next day. Damage from Georges totaled to $5.6 billion USD, and the hurricane caused a total of 21 fatalities in the Lesser Antilles and United States. Tropical Depression Eight A trough of low pressure strengthened into a tropical depression on September 16th while east of the Bahamas. Tropical depression eight brought moderate rainfall to the Bahamas as it continued on its way east. Wind shear prevented further development of the system, and it failed to organize any further. The depression dissipated a few miles off the Florida coast on September 19th, causing no damage and only light rainfall. Tropical Storm Hermine A dissipating European windstorm interacted with a tropical wave near Cape Verde to produce a subtropical cyclone, and the NHC marked the system as Subtropical Storm One. The strengthening cyclone was lent tropical characteristics from the tropical wave, and the subtropical storm was upgraded to a fully tropical system, Tropical Storm Hermine, on September 27th. Hermine started to slowly strengthen as it moved northwest across the open Atlantic. By September 29th, Hermine began weakening over the cooler waters near Europe and wind shear further weakened the storm. Hermine had fully dissipated on October 2nd, and its remnants contributed to the formation of a powerful European windstorm. Hurricane Ivan A vigorous tropical wave about 400 miles east of the Lesser Antilles had developed into a tropical depression on September 30th. Under favorable conditions, the depression rapidly strengthened into a tropical storm just 6 hours later. Rapid intensification caused the storm to strengthen from a strong tropical storm to a category 2 hurricane on October 2nd. The hurricane, Ivan, continued to strengthen and became a major hurricane the next day while 80 miles east of the Lesser Antilles. Ivan affected the islands with torrential rainfall and gusty conditions, but did not make direct landfall on any of them. Moving into the Caribbean Sea, Ivan maintained its strength as a strong category 3 hurricane, turning north-northwest and then northeast, passing by Hispaniola and bringing heavy rainfall to the Dominican Republic. Ivan started to weaken as it entered the cooler waters of the falltime Atlantic, and by October 6th it was a category 1 hurricane. On October 8th, Ivan made landfall on the island of Bermuda as a weak category 1 hurricane. Damage was minimal and no fatalities were reported, although very heavy rain drenched the entire island. Ivan rapidly weakened as it was no longer tropical. Ivan's extratropical remnants slowly dissipated as they continued northward to the far northern Atlantic. Tropical Storm Jeanne On October 14th, a subtropical cyclone with some tropical characteristics became Tropical Storm Jeanne, about 200 miles southeast of the Outer Banks, NC. Jeanne slowly moved up the United States east coast, and although it never directly impacted land, it brought light to heavy rainfall across the entire eastern shoreboard. Weak rip currents prompted 2 rescues in Myrtle Beach, SC, but nobody was hurt. Jeanne slowly weakened over the cool waters in the North Atlantic. It became extratropical on October 18th while 120 miles off the coast of New Jersey. Jeanne's extratropical remnants continued northeast out to sea before they were absorbed by a larger, much more powerful extratropical cyclone, which brought severe and heavy snowfall to the northeast states. Hurricane Karl A stalled cold front over the open Atlantic began to show convection on October 29th, and a large subtropical storm was formed within the system. The subtropical cyclone did not gain any tropical characteristics, but it strengthened enough to be upgraded to Hurricane Karl on October 31st. Moving northeast along the New England coast, Earl's large gale diameter resulted in some moderate to heavy rainfall from Massachusetts to Nova Scotia. Cold waters off Atlantic Canada were not at all favorable for Karl's sustainment as a hurricane, and it quickly transitioned to an extratropical cyclone, albeit with hurricane-force winds, on November 2nd. Newfoundland felt strong gales and moderate snowfall as the extratropical remnants of Karl passed within 50 miles of the area. Storm Names Retirement In the spring of 1981, the NHC retired two names: Earl and Georges. They were replaced by Edward and Gordon, respectively, for the 1986 Atlantic hurricane season. Category:Cyclones Category:Atlantic hurricane seasons Category:Reimagined seasons Category:Past Hurricane Seasons Category:Past Storms